ALBANY, NY – In his first public comments since a sexual harassment scandal engulfed his government, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday he was embarrassed for his actions and apologized, but said he would not resign.
Appearing at the State Capitol, the governor sought to contain his outrage over his actions towards three young men – including accusations of sexual harassment by two civil servants and another of unwanted touching and kissing at a wedding – as a growing chorus of his fellow Democrats asked. let him walk away.
Mr. Cuomo, his voice seeming to crack at times, said he wanted New Yorkers to “hear directly from me about it.”
“Now I understand that I acted in a way that made people uncomfortable,” he said. “It was not intentional and I really and deeply apologize for that. I feel terrible and frankly ashamed of it and that is not easy to say, but that is the truth. “
He stressed that “he never touched anyone inappropriately”.
“I never knew at the time that I was making someone uncomfortable,” he said. “And I certainly never meant to offend or hurt anyone or cause pain to anyone. That is the last thing I would like to do. “
In his comments and in response to a series of questions, Mr. Cuomo expressed regret – a rarity in a politician known for his sometimes blunt and abrasive personality – saying that he “learned from what has been an incredibly difficult situation for me, as well as other people. “
“I will be better off with this experience,” he said.
Few, if any, high-ranking officials vehemently defended Cuomo, with most Democrats repeatedly calling for an independent investigation into the claims, now overseen by state attorney general Letitia James.
The news conference on Wednesday was the governor’s first press conference in nine days, the longest he has gone unanswered by reporters since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor, a third-term Democrat, had tried to explain that some of his previous comments and questions to officials were misinterpreted and “may have been insensitive or very personal”.
“I recognize that some of the things I said were misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation,” Cuomo said in a statement on Sunday. “To the extent that someone felt that way, I’m really sorry about that.”
That statement was insufficient for many, including Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former Cuomo advisor who told The New York Times that the governor asked her a series of sexually charged questions during a private meeting last June, including whether she he was monogamous and had slept with older men. Shaken and upset, Ms. Bennett reported the incident to Mr. Cuomo’s chief of staff and was promptly transferred to another part of the state government.
On Monday, she characterized the governor’s initial apology – and an aborted attempt to get an associate of a senior advisor to conduct an investigation – as a cowardly attempt to evade responsibility.
“These are not the actions of someone who just feels misunderstood,” wrote Bennett. “These are the actions of an individual who exercises his power to avoid justice”.
Mrs. Bennett on Wednesday was not impressed by the governor, who at one point said that she was specifically apologizing to “the young woman who worked here”, but did not say her name.
“The governor’s press conference was full of falsehoods and inaccurate information, and New Yorkers deserve better,” said Debra S. Katz, a prominent harassment lawyer who represents Bennett.
Ms. Katz added that she hoped that the attorney general’s report “would demonstrate that Cuomo government officials did not act on the grounds of Ms. Bennett’s serious allegations or ensured that corrective measures were taken, in violation of her legal requirements.”
The turmoil in Albany began last week with Lindsey Boylan, who served in the Cuomo government from 2015 to 2018. She published an essay detailing a series of disturbing interactions with Cuomo, including a case where she said the governor suggested that they “play with strip poker. ”Ms. Boylan also said that the governor gave him an unsolicited kiss on the mouth after an individual meeting with him at his Manhattan office in 2018.
“When I got up to go out and walk towards an open door, he stopped in front of me and kissed me on the mouth,” wrote Boylan, who is running for the Manhattan district presidency. “I was in shock, but I kept walking.”
The governor’s office vehemently denied Boylan’s claim.
On Wednesday, Boylan also appeared to reject the governor’s extensive apology, questioning his failure to recognize that his actions towards women were inherently inadequate, regardless of his intention.
On Monday, Anna Ruch, 33, who served in the Obama administration, described an unwanted advance by the governor at a wedding, including touching his bare back, holding his face and giving an unwanted kiss on his cheek.
Asked about the incident on Wednesday, Cuomo said that kissing and hugging was his “usual and customary way to say hello”, but that he apologized if it bothered Ruch, reiterating that it was not his intention to do so.
“If they were offended by this, then it was wrong,” said Cuomo. “If they were offended, I apologize. If they were hurt by this, I apologize. If they felt pain, I apologize. I apologize. That was not the intention. I didn’t mean it, but if that’s how they feel, that’s all that matters and I apologize. “
Ms. James, a Democrat, is soon due to hire an outside law firm to lead a civil investigation into the sexual harassment charges made against the governor.
The investigation may be broad enough to include potential claims that have not yet emerged. Investigators will have subpoena power to request office records, emails and text messages, as well as witnesses, including Mr. Cuomo, to testify under oath.
Lawmakers speculated in particular that the outcome of the investigation could increase pressure on Cuomo to step down or influence his decision to seek re-election next year.
As state attorney general, Mr. Cuomo investigated two governors, David A. Paterson and Eliot Spitzer. In both cases, the investigations were politically devastating for governors, helping to seal their political careers.
“I ask the people of this state to wait for the facts in the attorney general’s report before forming an opinion,” Cuomo said on Wednesday.
Currently, Cuomo is facing another crisis: allegations that his government has withheld important data on coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes to cover the full extent of the death toll in such facilities.
Last month, during a private meeting with state lawmakers, the governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, admitted to hiding the data for fear that it would be used against the governor by the Trump Department of Justice at the time.
The revelation prompted federal prosecutors and the FBI to open an investigation into the matter.
There were some potential signs of fatigue in Cuomo’s inner circle: just before Cuomo spoke on Wednesday, Gareth Rhodes, an important coronavirus advisor, announced that he would leave the governor’s task force to deal with the disease.
Rhodes, whose 2019 Manhattan wedding was where Cuomo kissed Ruch, said his decision was made last week.
The Politician also reported that a press officer, Will Burns, informed the governor’s office on Tuesday that he would leave the Executive Chamber.
On Wednesday, Ms. Katz observed the exits and repeated Ms. Bennett’s previous call for others who may have suffered or witnessed the governor’s harassment to speak up.
“If they know something or have experienced it,” said Katz, “we ask them to come forward and report this misconduct.”